Packing guide for fruit and vegetable containers



me. /11l8 w23. M775@ G. L.. COMLOSSY PACKING GUIDE FOR FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONTAINERS TTOH/VEVS Patented Dec. l, i923.

Ulli TT GEORGE L. COMLOSSY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

PACKING GUIDE FOR FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONTAINERS.

Application led. March 3, 1923. Serial No. 622,632. p

To all lw hom t may concern:

Be it kno-wn that I, GEORGE L. CoMLossY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented cer-tain new and useful Improvements in Packing Guides for Fruit andI Vegetable Containers, of which the following is a specication.

My present invention relates generally to i0 the packing of fruit, vegetable and other containers, for instance fruit boxes, within railway freight cars, where it is essential for the preservation of the commodity in transit, that the containers be packed s uffciently tight to prevent j ostling or j olting of the containers against one another.

In refrigerato-r cars for example fruit boxes are packed endwise upstanding, in longitudinal and transverse rows, commencing from the ends of the cars and working toward the center opposite the doorway and in this packing operation the boxes are separated in transverse rows by transverse strips with 4the object in view of leaving at the center of the car a transverse space in which a single row of boxes will fit snugly and tightly. In view however of the varying bulge of the sides of the boxes 1t is very common and in fact happens in most inso stances that the final space left is insufficient to readily insert a single box and it is obviously a difficult matter to slide a box into such space on account of the rough sides which it is necessary t0 force in contact with the rough sides of the two boxes already on opposite sides of the space. n

At present considerable time and labor 1s required where the space is slightly smaller than the box to go into the space and it 1s to relieve these disadvantages that my invention proposes a guide which may be readily inserted in place, will permit of quick easy insertion of the box in the final space, and which is both simple inexpensive and readily removable after use. l It is quite obvious that among the prerequisites of a guide of this nature, ready removability is of considerable importance and in proposing a guide, including a pair of slide plates, my invention contemplates the use of handles whereby the plates may not only be transported from place to place in a convenient manner, but may be readily withdrawn in a vertical direction after use and reinserted at a new point of use with facility and ease.

ln the accompanying drawing which illustrates my present invention and forms a part of this specification,

, Figure l is a perspective view showing a 6o series of fruit boxes as they are packed, and illustrating the practical application of my invention,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through one side of one of theboxes and showing one of the slide plates in connection therewith and alsovin section, and

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a portion of one of the boxes showing one of my slide plates in connection therewith.

Referringvnow to these figures and particularly to Figure 1 I have shown a series of fruit boxes l0 endwise upstanding in successive transverse rows just as they are placed within each tier of boxes in a refrigerator or otherfreight car for shipment andl havealso shown a space which in practice results at the center. of the car for the reception of the final box completing the tier, this latter box indicated at 1l being 80 seen in course of disposition in place.

As above stated the boxes are packed in practice with the object of leaving at the center a space just suflicient to crowd the final central transverse row of which box S5 l1 is the last, in place so that the entire tier will be so closely adjacent to one another as to defeat all danger of jostling or jolting of the boxes and consequently injuring the same and the commodity contained thereby. 9o

In viewy of the slatted sides of the boxes and the fact that they bulge more or less this disposition of the final row is at the present time a tedious lengthy operation if the packing hasbeen carefully done and the fact that it is so gives rise to careless packing at the ends of the car soas vto leave ample space for the final transverse row and this when done allows for the undesirable jostling and j olting of the containers in transit.

The guide proposed by my invention for the ready insertion of the final transverse row of boxes,` where as intended the packing has been carefullycarried out S0 as t0 105 leave just suflicient space for the tight packing of the final row, consists of a pair of slide plates which may be disposed vertically along the spaced opposing faces or sides of a pair of' containers 10, these plates 110 being indica-ted at 12 and having surfaces of which at least those turned toward one another are smooth and unbroken in ordery to thus present surfaces between which the sides of the final box11 may be forced and will more readily slide into place than against the roughV sides of the boxes 10 on opposite sides thereof if these sides were left exposed. f Y

In order to guide the box 11 into place between the boxes 10 uponopposite sides thereof', each of the slidel plates 12 is provided along .cnc vertical edge with outwardly flaring and slightly curved guide lips 13 in the form of lengthwise flanges between the lower portions of which one end of the box 11 to be inserted in the space is initially forced as indicated in Figurel.

At its upper edge. each plate 12 has spaced upstanding lugs 14- supporting handles 15 substantially of ring shape, by means of which the slide plates may be readily carried from place to place and easily inserted vertically along the opposingl surfaces of spaced boxes 10. and readily pulled vertically between the surfaces of these boxes and the opposite sides of the box 11 after the latter has been rocked upwardly and inwardly into place from the initial position of Figure 1.

Between the upstandinglugs 111 carrying the handles 15, each plate has a ,lateral flange 16 terminating in a. downturned edge 17 the latter of'which thus provides for engagement over one of the end battens 18 of the boxes so as to prevent inward displacement of the slide plates toward one another while the box 11 is being inserted and yet permits of ready removal of the slide l plates upwardly from their operative position after the box 11 has been inserted.

Each of the slide plates is also provided outwardly beyond its upstanding handle lugs 14 with laterally extended ears 19 adopted to rest upon the upper ends of the adjacent boxes 10, and these ears are preferably apertured in order to provide for the use of screws, nails or like fastening members in case the latter become desirable or necessary for the purpose of securing the slide plates temporarily in their effective positions. Y

Thuswhere the endsof the car have been packed with the boxes 10 and the packing has proceeded to the point where Vbut a single transverse series of boxes remains to Ybe placed in' order to complete the tier of boxes, the slide plates are used and inserted as previously described in order that this linal series box b box ma be inserted in place, and it is obvious that by the use of a guide including the slide plates as described, this disposition ofthe final row may be accomplished with ease and facility where without the saine the disposition of the final row would be tedious and difficult if as in a properly packed car the final space will not permit of the insertion of the final row of boxes to slide freely between those boxes upon opposite sides thereof.

` It is furthermore obvious my invention proposes a guide which isvequally useful in the packing of boxes, baskets, crates, bar-V rels and .other forms of containers, as well as one which is simple, strong 'and durable and is not only economical as to first `cost but will be practically free of cost of up-Y keep thereafter.

I claim: Y 1. A. guide to facilitate disposition of aA commodity container between adjacent containers, consisting of a pair of slide plates engageable with and extendible along the opposing faces of the adjacent containers,

each having a smooth inner surface and a flaring guidelip alongsideone side edge.

2. A guide to facilitate disposition of Va commodity container between adjacent containers, consisting of a lpair of slide plates engageable with and extendible along the opposing faces of the adjacent containers, having outwardly flaring and curved flanges along one side edge lforming vguide lips, as described. V- Y A guide for the purpose described con'- sisting of a pair of cooperating slide plates having flanges along` one side forming guide lips, and having upper handles for insertf ing the same into and withdrawing'the saine from, operative position. Y l

j 4. A guide for the purpose described, consisting of a pairof cooperating slide plates having upper handles and engaging ears and having fla-ring guide lips along one side edge. o i v 5. A guide for the purpose described, consisting of a pair of cooperating vslide plates having flaring guide lips along one side edge and having upper handles and lateral extensions between the handles provided with downturned engaging edges.

6. A guide for the purpose described, consisting of a pair of cooperating slide plates ics having flaring guide lips ,along one` side edge esoneri L. oonnossr. 

